Top Environment News

September 9, 2016

Disruption of a Most Regular Atmospheric Cycle

The Adorable Thing Bats Do to Catch Prey

Not One, but Four Giraffe Species

A Tenth of World's Wilderness Lost Since 1990s

Latest Headlines

updated 12:50am EDT

Ginger, Chili Peppers Could Work Together to Lower Cancer Risk

Sep. 7, 2016 — For many people, there's nothing more satisfying than a hot, spicy meal. But some research has suggested that capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their kick, might cause cancer. Now ... read more

Bacteria Supply Their Allies With Munitions

Sep. 8, 2016 — Bacteria fight their competitors with molecular spear guns, the so-called Type VI secretion system. When firing this weapon they also unintentionally hit their own kind. ... read more

The History of Beer Yeast

Sep. 8, 2016 — Today's industrial yeast strains are used to make beer, wine, bread, biofuels, and more, but their evolutionary history is not well studied. Researchers have now described a ... read more

Cover Crop Mixtures Increase Agroecosystem Services, First-of-Kind Study Suggests

Sep. 8, 2016 — Planting a multi-species mixture of cover crops -- rather than a cover crop monoculture -- between cash crops, provides ... read more

New Reptile Species from 212 Million Years Ago

Sep. 8, 2016 — An extinct reptile related to crocodiles that lived 212 million years ago in present day New Mexico has been named as a new species, Vivaron haydeni, ... read more

Yellow or Black, Large or Small? Ant Color and Body Size Respond Strongly to Environment

Sep. 8, 2016 — A study of ants across three continents has revealed that their color and size is strongly influenced by their environment, ... read more

Injecting Citrus Tree Trunks With Bactericide May Help Stem Greening

Sep. 8, 2016 — A chemical treatment known as a bactericide could help preserve citrus trees from the potentially deadly and costly greening disease, a new ... read more

Newly Described Amphipod Species Already Under Threat

Sep. 8, 2016 — Biologists have described a new amphipod species which is endemic to the Alps. While alpine lakes provide relatively undisturbed habitats for Gammarus alpinus, this species ... read more

Pet Therapy Can Combat Homesickness

Sep. 8, 2016 — The expression "dog is man's best friend" might have more weight in the case of first-year university students suffering from homesickness, according to a new study. The ... read more

Saskatchewan Uranium Mining Emits Few Greenhouse Gases, Study Shows

Sep. 8, 2016 — The mining and milling of Canadian uranium contributes very few greenhouse gases to nuclear power’s already low emissions, a research group ... read more

Italy Quake Kills 159 as Rescuers Race to Find Survivors

Italy Quake Death Toll Nears 250, Rescue Work Intensifies

Cleanup Begins After Devastating Indiana Tornadoes

Quake Reduces Italian Village to Ruins

Linking RNA Structure and Function

Sep. 8, 2016 — Several years ago, biologists discovered a new type of genetic material known as long noncoding RNA. This RNA does not code for proteins and is copied from sections of the genome once believed to be ... read more

Earthquakes Can Trigger Near-Instantaneous Aftershocks on Different Faults

Sep. 8, 2016 — A large earthquake on one fault can trigger large aftershocks on separate faults within just a few minutes. These findings have important implications for earthquake hazard prone regions like ... read more

Measuring Forces in the DNA Molecule

Sep. 8, 2016 — DNA, our genetic material, normally has the structure of a twisted rope ladder. Experts call this structure a double helix. Among other things, it is stabilized by stacking forces between base pairs. ... read more

Deriving Inspiration from the Dragon Tree

Sep. 8, 2016 — Could dragon trees serve as a source of inspiration for innovations in lightweight construction? A team of researchers has laid the groundwork for designing technical fiber-reinforced lightweight ... read more

How Chinese Medicine Kills Cancer Cells

Sep. 8, 2016 — Researchers have shown how a complex mix of plant compounds derived from ancient clinical practice in China -- a Traditional Chinese Medicine -- works to kill cancer ... read more

Air Pollution a Risk Factor for Diabetes, Say Researchers

Sep. 8, 2016 — Exposure to air pollution at the place of residence increases the risk of developing insulin resistance as a pre-diabetic state of type 2 diabetes, report ... read more

Smart Buoy for Measuring Water Pollutants

Sep. 8, 2016 — All over the world, lakes, rivers, and coastal waters are threatened by high nutrient inputs. Nitrate or phosphates from waste-waters or fertilizers causes eutrophication. The consequence: Algae, in ... read more

Why Moths Are Attracted to Light

Sep. 8, 2016 — Light at night changes animals’ behavior. A new study shows that moths are attracted to street lamps within a radius of approximately 23 meters. The number of specimens attracted depends on the ... read more

Stealth Pig Cells May Hold the Key to Treating Diabetes in Humans

Sep. 8, 2016 — In preclinical work begun this year, stealth insulin-producers — pancreatic islets from pigs or mice coated with thin bilayers of biomimetic material — are being tested in vivo in a mouse model ... read more

Mechanical Engineering in Hot Pursuit of Creeping Bacteria

Sep. 7, 2016 — The growth of bacterial biofilm is problematic when you think of all the liquid flowing through all those miles of tubing at your local hospital or Medi-Centre. The movement of bacteria with flow can ... read more

Picky Ants Maintain Color Polymorphism of Bugs They Work With

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers have found that ants have a particular preference for aphid colonies with certain colors, which could be why these bugs are able to keep their colors across ... read more

Historical Coexistence With Dingoes May Explain Bandicoot Avoidance of Domestic Dogs

Sep. 7, 2016 — Domestic dogs and cats were introduced to Tasmania two centuries ago, but bandicoots still fail to recognize these introduced predators as threats, according a new ... read more

Fuel Cell Membrane Outperforms Market: 'Goldilocks' Membrane Is Just About Right

Sep. 7, 2016 — Industrial interest is expected in a vehicular fuel cell membrane able to excrete protons at the most effective temperature ranges, allowing electrons to form an unimpeded electric ... read more

Antimicrobial Chemicals Found With Antibiotic-Resistance Genes in Indoor Dust

Sep. 7, 2016 — University of Oregon researchers have found links between the levels of antimicrobial chemicals and antibiotic-resistance genes in the dust of an aging building used for athletics and academics. One ... read more

Life History of the 360-Million-Year-Old Tetrapod Acanthostega Rewrites the Tetrapod Move to Land

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers have shown that fossils of the 360 million-year-old tetrapod Acanthostega, one of the iconic transitional forms between fishes and land animals, are not adults but all juveniles. This ... read more

Fruit Flies Yield Clues on Cancerous Tumor Hotspots

Sep. 7, 2016 — Scientists have found that the epithelial tissues that line the surfaces of organs throughout the body intrinsically have hot spots for cancerous tumors.They discovered this by examining a common ... read more

Crab from the Chinese Pet Market Turns out to Be a New Species of a New Genus

Sep. 7, 2016 — Shimmering carapaces make crabs attractive to pet owners. To answer the growing demand, fishermen collect and trade crustaceans, often not knowing what exactly they have handed over to their clients. ... read more

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: World's Largest Reforestation Program Overlooks Wildlife

Sep. 7, 2016 — New research found that China's reforestation program, the world's largest, overwhelmingly leads to the planting of monoculture forests that fall short of restoring the biodiversity of ... read more

13th Century Maya Codex, Long Shrouded in Controversy, Proves Genuine

Sep. 7, 2016 — The Grolier Codex, an ancient document that is among the rarest books in the world, has been regarded with skepticism since it was reportedly unearthed by looters from a cave in Chiapas, Mexico, in ... read more

Six New Groups of Molecules Could Be the Key to Delaying Aging

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers assess how six previously identified plant extracts can delay aging by affecting different signalling pathways that set the pace of growing ... read more

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Monday, September 5, 2016

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Low-cost solar device converts sunlight to steam in dusty environment

Monday, September 5, 2016

Blue coral snake, calliophis bivirgata: A mysterious beauty armed with exotic toxins

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Four out of six great apes one step away from extinction, experts say

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Critically endangered whales in Russia recovering

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Beyond sushi wrap: Experts warn booming seaweed industry

Friday, September 2, 2016